The Portland daily press., 1887-06-30

Somerset road-were there. Mr. Keene had
hung up before them map Of the State Of
Maine, over the northern portion Of which
was printed in big black characters:
500, 900, 900.
And over the belt along the Eastern
Maine seashore he had printed another:
500, 900, 900.
These figures represented the capital that
Maine has in her forests and seashores; and
he estimated that in few years she would
receive an annual income Of four million
dollars from each Of these two sources.
lhese four million dollars were also repre-
Sented by big black figures across the map.
ine interest OIL the audience, commissioners,
lawyers ana spectators, was very apparent
Wnen the new map was explained.
but this map with the accompanying pre-
dlctlons formed but small part of what Mr..
keene said, and related only remotely to the
raiiway y question under consideration. The
resources and possibilities Of the Kennebec
yaney formed his main theme Mr.. Keene
mas taken considerable pains 10 make study
OF the kennebec. This season he has had
mere Mr. James 3. Francis, Of Lowell, Mass.
and am nyGranilc engineer Of great experience
Oh boston, formerly Of Shedd & Sawyer,
consulting engineers at the Lewiston Mills
and A. b. Tower, Of Holyoke, an expert IN
the ti construction Of paper mills. These gem
| tlemen have been studying the Kennebec
valley. The results Of their Observations
and the results Of his own study Mr.. Keene
presented today very forcibly and clearly,
using excellent maps TO make clear his de-
Serlption. secretary Rich, cf the Portland
| Board Of Trade, who was present said that
keene made him think of
| THE LATE JOHN A. POOR.
Many OF his hearers, probably most of
them, thought him too ardent in his hopes
and schemes; but they were all very much
interested, and when he finished speaking
the applause was such that Commissioner
Mortland was forced to vindicate the digni-
W OF the commission by reprimanding the
| audience.
The Kennebec, Mr.. Keene predicted,
would ultimately, provided the proper rail-
way be built) divide honors with the Merri-
mac as the greatest manufacturing rivers on
the globe. The available water power be-
tween Augusta and Moosehead Lake Is es-
tfmated at one hundred thousand horse pow
er. Ihis Is all within one hundred miles,
making about a thousand horse power to the
mile. Inc kennebec Is also so happily situ-
ated that IL has those most important adj
| Juncts OF manufacturing, storage basins.
Moosehead Lake, thirty-fve miles long and
twelve wide, with thousand miles OF trib-
utdAJ Is Tie HueSL storage basin in
the world, and gives the Kennebec unrivalled
advantages. The completion Of the Cana
| dian Pacific across Maine at last affords the
| opportunity for developing these resources.
nne Oh railway pushing up the Kennebec
may now have an objective. And when
built, what has happened at Waterville.
okOwnegan and Madison In the way Of de-
velopment OF water power, will. Mr.. Keene
predicts, happen all along the Upper river.
sixteen towns such Is his prediction,
will surely be called into existence from
Waterville to Moose River village, with an
average Of over
TEN THOUSAND POPULATION
each 1t will be safe to predict that In a
very few years one half Of the population of
the State Of Maine will be found in the val
ley OF the kennebec from Bath to Moose
River village" The boldness of this predlc-
tlon may be more fully realized by compar-
ing 1t with Mr.. Z. +. Webb's opening re-
marks. Mr.. Webb said that the county OF
Somerset had been established seyenty-nine
years, but is still three-fourths forest. In
1880 its population was 5000, and in 1880 it
was but $1,000, a decrease Of three thousand.
| The entire northern part of the county Is un-
developed, and until the Canadian Pacific
/ began to build across the northern part, and
i the railway from Skowhegan was talked Of,
| II had no prospect Of any development Other
than could be afforded by the highways or
| the kennebec river. With the Air Line once
built, Mr.. Keene predicts a dazzling future
/ for the water powers that are scattered along
the river above Skowhegah, at Norridge-
| wock, East Madison, Solon (Carratunk Falls)
Embden, Bingham, Moscow and Concord.
| The great consideration in the manufacture
ing OF the future will be cheap power. The
/ speaker laid out this future for these water
/ powers. By the water falls themselves mills
such as paper mills will be constructed. .'rhe
i nf ha oaiA tsx.TtI L..
| few years amount in value to more
| than Names immense lumber interests.
| Every year sees old paper mills abandoned
in Connecticut and new and larger ones erec-
/ ted to do their work in these northern for
ests. The successful paper mill Of to-day
must be connected with the wood pulp mills
/ by iron pipes 5C0 feet, 1000 feet or one mile
in length. 1t does not pay to carry $4,000
| worth year from the Kennebec river OF
| wet wood pulp to the State Of Connecticut.
| SO the paper mills must come here" With
/ these paper mills, and possibly with them
lumber and other manufactures, the banks
OF the river will be occupied, but here is
what MIR. keene foresees for the places
away from the river: 'At these power sta
ti0ns [the various falls before mentioned the
practical thing to do, and what
| will be done will be to distribute
the large power around to the dis
which Is now done the world over very sue
cessfully. Also to carry
WIRES AND ELECTRICAL MOTORS
where smaller amounts of powers would be
useful, into little villages away from the
river, where sewing machines may be run
for the manufacture of clothing" Electrical
railways might also be operated from the
banks of the river to interior points with
power furnished by the water, Mr.. Keene
thinks.
Speaking of one immediate result of the
construction Of the Air Line road, Mr..
Keene declared that one firm alone, who
own $1,000 acres near Hotel Township,
would invest $4,000 on plant at once and
do business Of half million dollars yearly.
Their business would be the manufacture of
hard wood, which now Is worthless aim Ost
as It cannot be got to market. 1t is to heavy
to float in the river as pine and spruce logs
are floated. Mr. Keene also called attention
to the fact that slate and granite existed
along the line OF the proposed road, waiting
for transportation to market.
After devSting himself to the northern
part of the State and to the proposed railway
MIR. Keene departed little from the subject
OF the hearing to speak of the seashore pro-
perty Of Maine. As he holds equally roseate
ideas Of this part of Maine it may be worth
while to give few Of the ideas with which
he pleased the Somerset county men at the
| court house today. On his map he gave, as
has been stated, a capitalization Of one hun
dred millions to our sea coast. and put the
future revenue at four millions yearly. This
Is how he reckoned It.: "rhe good land for
seashore estates is really very limited. Ma
hant, two miles long by one mile wide, has a
personal tax
VALUATION OF TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS,
1t Is estimated. Land at Lynn, on the
shore, is only three-quarters Of mile long,
and is all gone for summer places. IL is
worth today $4,000 an acre. At Beverly
Farms and Swampscot, $4,000 an :acre is
becoming the common price. Now. after
you leave Gloucester, no more land Is good
or desirable until you reach Bar Harbor IA
statement from which there win probably be
some dissent for rapid and frequent com
mnnication Is necessary for country place
To-Day. TAX with landscape engineers and
you viii be surprised at the small amount Of
suitable land now available for shore house
lots at reasonable prices. The coast line